Articles, Leading Stories

May 1st, 2017

New England battles opioid epidemic

By Phyllis Hanlon

A 2014 Health and Human Services report issued some troubling statistics for four New England states: Massachusetts leads the nation with most opioid-related...

May 1st, 2017

New England states limit painkiller prescriptions

By Janine Weisman

In March 2016, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to enact a law limiting first-time opioid medication prescriptions for adults and all opioid...

May 1st, 2017

Bed reduction plan at UMass Memorial Medical Center causes outcry

By Susan Gonsalves

UMass Memorial Medical Center’s plan to convert 13 of 28 psychiatric beds to medical surgery beds has met with widespread opposition.

May 1st, 2017

Alita Care, LLC acquires Bournewood Health Systems

By Pamela Berard

Bournewood Health Systems of Brookline, Massachusetts, will broaden its continuum of care as a result of its recent acquisition by Alita Care, LLC, of Phoenix,...

May 1st, 2017

Portsmouth Regional Hospital expands involuntary admissions beds

By Pamela Berard

Responding to a greater need for inpatient services and prolonged wait times for emergency psychiatric care across the state of New Hampshire, Portsmouth...

May 1st, 2017

State auditor’s office cites issues with MassHealth payments

By Phyllis Hanlon

In April, the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) released a report that evaluated payments MassHealth made for mental health services rendered between July 1,...

May 1st, 2017

App designed to predict aggressive behavior

By Catherine Robertson Souter

In 2014, a group of parents in California sued a neighbor over the problem behaviors of their autistic child.

According to one report,...

May 1st, 2017

Bill would allow supervision-free practice under Medicare

By Rivkela Brodsky

Federal legislation introduced in the House and Senate in February would allow psychologists to practice independent of physician supervision under...

May 1st, 2017

Study: patients prefer psychotherapy over drugs

By Catherine Robertson Souter

Add one more piece of data to the on-going debate about the efficacy of pharmaceutical medication versus therapy to treat mental illness.

May 1st, 2017

Study: Tablet use reduces agitation in dementia patients

By Susan Gonsalves

The idea of using tablet devices as an intervention for older adults, including those with severe dementia, was partially born at a restaurant dinner table,...